


File #546: Mount Massive Asylum

by Rossana_No_Maindo



Category: Grave Encounters (Movies), Outlast (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Outlast Fusion, Blood, Body Horror, Character Death, Horror, Horrorterrors - Freeform, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Multi, Psychological Horror, Survival Horror
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-28
Updated: 2019-06-05
Packaged: 2019-08-08 17:20:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16433618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rossana_No_Maindo/pseuds/Rossana_No_Maindo
Summary: When Miles Upshur receives an email from an anonymous source, he's ready to discover what's Murkoff hiding from the whole world. However, being an independent investigative journalist has its disadvantages; so, he'll call his friend Lance Preston, who has a better equipment for this mission since he'd been working on a TV show.Now this case has brought Lance's attention too, so him and his crew will join Miles during this tour of hell on earth.(THE EVENTS OF GRAVE ENCOUNTERS NEVER HAPPENED IN THIS STORY)





	1. The deal

**Author's Note:**

> Frankly, I always thought how these two were so alike (night vision, yay!); neither of them got the good ending and we asked for more. Though the sequels weren't what we were expecting (doesn't matter if they're good or bad) 'cause it didn't give us answers.  
> So, I made this! It's not the big deal, but I hope you guys like it!

Miles Upshur was a little tired of this situation.

He wasn't exactly the best guy of the world, but he couldn't understand why people where so blind about some things that were happening in their very eyes.

Almost a year ago, he was fired from the company because he had posted material about the situation in Afghanistan that were too... _gruesome, unacceptable_ for them.

_What the hell?_

Miles couldn't believe how stupid people were about events that were happening in some part of the world, but didn't want to know how horrible they were.

_Well, happy birthday. They are horrible... and real._

"Fucking idiots." He muttered under his breath while he checked on his email.

He knew that being a decent and independent journalist wouldn't be easy, but he had to. He was so tired of being bossed around for stupid shit like celebrity info. That wasn't enough for him. He wanted to discover things to show them to people, or to demonstrate them how the thing was, how and why. That was what he wanted.

"Huh?" He raised an eyebrow as he caught a new message. "Please, if it's Doug again..." he growled and clicked.

_You don't know me. Have to make this quick. They may be monitoring._

He let out a whistle. This was getting interesting.

_I did 2 weeks of software consult at MURKOFF Psychiatric Systems' facilities in Mount Massive. All sorts of NDA's I am very much breaking right now but seriously, fuck those guys._

Miles frowned. _Murkoff_... where had he heard of it before? Murkoff... Murkoff... Oh, _that_ Murkoff! Soooo there was something illegal about Murkoff that they didn't want the world to find out, huh? This was perfect for him.

_Terrible things happening there. Don't understand it. Don't believe half the things I saw. Doctors talking about dream therapy going to deep, finding something that had been waiting for them in the mountain. People are being hurt and Murkoff is making money._

_It needs to be exposed._

"Whaaaat the actual fuck..." was the first thing that escaped from his mouth.

This was interesting and juicy as hell. It was a golden opportunity to being recognized as one of the best investigative journalist of the whole country! The best of the whole fucking world!

"Then Doug will kiss my ass when that happens." he sang in a malicious tone as he looked for his camera and his notebook with the pen. "He will beg for me to come back... and I'll say 'too bad! You didn't appreciate what you had until you lost it!'"

He was so excited! He had everything: camera, notebook... and... that was it.

"Maybe this isn't enough... I need more material..." he looked around his miserable home. Hell, he lost his recorder when he was fired... and the camera was good, but... just that... It was _fine_. "How can I get a good equipment without sacrificing my ass in a brothel..."

Then he remembered someone; someone who had the best equipment (for stupid shit) to investigate this case.

He took his keys and ran out of his house.

* * *

 

"Collingwood sounds good to me."

"Me too."

"Well, do I have a choice?"

"C'mon, TC. Why do you always say something about the places we choose?"

"I have to, do I?"

"Whatever. Sash?"

"I don't mind. Let's go."

"So, it's settled, then! Episode 6: _The haunted asylum_. How does that sound?"

 _Knock, knock_.

"Who is it?"

"Lance, did you invite someone else?"

"I considered inviting Houston... but I didn't say anything to him yet..." He left the papers on the table and walked to the door. He opened it and he was greeted by a man with dark hair and brown eyes. "Can I help you?"

"Honestly, you can come up with better names for that tittle." he smiled. "Don't you remember me, Lance?"

"If I did, you'd be already inside." he sent him a wary look.

"Miles Upshur? Your old neighbor back when we were kids?"

"... Oh." Was all he let out. He silently let him in. "Were you listening to our conversation?"

"I have fantastic hearing."

"And your job implies being obtrusive."

Miles frowned, but didn't respond. He didn't blame Lance for being a little of a jerk to him. He wasn't exactly a very good friend back when they were teens, so he guessed he deserved it.

"Who is that, Lance?"

"No one, just an old partner." he shrugged.

_Gee... ok, that hurt._

"Hey, everyone." He smiled. "I'm Miles Upshur. I used to be friends with Lance back when we were kids."

"Hi."

"Hey there."

"Sooo, who am I talking to?"

"I'm Matt."

"TC, no more or less, man."

"Sasha."

He nodded, then looked at Lance, who was reading again some papers.

"So, what are you guys doing? I've heard you do this TV show, but..."

"We were discussing the next place we're about to visit."

"A haunted house?"

"Already did that one." TC chuckled. "This time, is an asylum."

"An asylum? Well, I'm a investigative journalist. And I'm going to visit an asylum too."

That picked everyone's attention.

"Oh, yeah?" Sasha raised an eyebrow.

Miles grinned at the young woman. She was a nice sight to his eyes.

"Yeah. Mount Massive Asylum. Yours?"

"Collingwood."

"Geez. I've heard people disappeared trying to investigate that place." He wasn't lying. During some investigations, he ran into this cases where some people got in that place and never got out again. Some people believed that they just used it as an excuse to run away or something like that, but it was still weird.

"Is that so?" Now TC seemed a little unsure about going. He had a wife and a little girl. He wasn't going to risk his life just for their show.

"Well, if they're spirits there and get proof, we could get millions." Said Lance with a smirk.

"Sounds appealing." Agreed Matt.

"How about something more appealing?" intervened Miles. during his way here, he went to a cyber place to print the email he received. He took it from his pocket and gave it to Lance. "I got this from a worker from Murkoff?"

"Murkoff?"

"You talking about one of the most powerful companies in the state?"

"Oh, yeah. Apparently, they're using patients for an experiment. I'm going to that asylum tomorrow. That's why I came here." He glanced at Lance, who understood.

"No."

Oh, c'mon!"

"No way. You came here to borrow our stuff so you can have your way. _Fuck off_."

"Lance, come on, man! I need this! This is my opportunity to show the whole world something they wouldn't imagine!"

"Well, you should have chosen a better job to do it."

"What?! I'm not the one doing a TV show bullshit!"

"Hey!" Snapped Sasha.

"Dude, what the fuck?"

"Yeah!"

Miles shut his mouth. _Crap_. He didn't mean that! But he was so desperate! He really needed this, but Lance wasn't going to help him? at all? Ok, he deserved that. He was an asshole an a horrible friend, but he'd pay him!

"Listen! I'm sorry. I let my temper get the worst of me, again." he inhaled. "But unlike you, my job's on the line! I really need this! And I don't have the best equipment to do it! Lance, if you and your crew help me, I'll pay you! All of you! If what's happening in that asylum is big, then so will be the reward!"

Lance stared at him with a deep frown. Why was Miles messing with his life now? Didn't he have enough when they were younger? They were okay doing their _Grave Encounters_ show, but he knew that some day it would end. What would they do, then? His crew would part ways and it would be over. Though him, Sasha and Matt were like best friends and family, that didn't mean they would choose their own path too. And about Miles' offer... if they visited it, they would know how an asylum worked, so they would be prepared once they get to Collingwood, right? It was a good idea, besides...

"What if it's a lie and nothing's happening there?"

"I'll still pay you guys. I don't know how, but I'll manage somehow. If I drag you into this, then I shall be a Good Samaritan." he smiled a little. He was convincing him!

"If we do this..." he started, so his crew could hear him. "We could get an idea of how an asylum works, and we can film episode 6 without problems. It's still a job and we'll get paid. However, I won't do this if you won't agree. I want everyone's opinion."

Miles' smile wavered a little.

Shit. _Shit, shit, shit_.

He just insulted the crew's job. Were they really going to consider it, or they would kick his ass?

"I don't care." said Matt. "I'm okay with whatever decision _you_ make, Lance."

TC and Sasha were quiet. While the man seemed deep in thought, the girl didn't look pleased  with the idea and, of course, didn't seem pretty happy with Miles' presence.

"Dude, I know I'm gonna sound like a real baby, but I think it's a good idea too. At least, we'll see patients that are _alive_." TC caressed his temples with a tired expression. Of course, he was the oldest. Miles was sure he emphasized with him.

All the males then looked at Sasha.

She glared at Miles; she already didn't like him. He acted all smugly because of an offer that could change his career forever. Good for him! But that didn't give him the right to criticize what they were doing. Yeah, it was fucking fake their program, but they liked it, so what? She looked at TC, who begged with his eyes to cooperate with the situation. Well, it was already awkward that this random guy appeared during their plans and (it seemed) Lance wasn't very fond of him. Matt's look was assuring, whatever she decided, he'd support her too. If she didn't want to come, he'd respect her wish. Finally, Sasha looked at Lance.

Her eyes softened and let out a sigh.

"I'll kick your ass if there's nothing worth there." she sentenced.

"Yes!" Miles threw a fit in the air. "Yes! Thank you, guys! I'll assure you it'll be aaaaall worth it!"

"Whatever."

"So, it's settled then. We leave tomorrow?"

"Yeah. My car or yours?"

"We should use the van, so we can bring all the tools we need and get comfy at the same time." TC suggested.

"Great! After lunch, right here, tomorrow!" he promised. "I knew I could count on you, Lance! I owe you!"

Lance sighed.

"Yeah, I guess."

"Well, I should leave so I can prepare everything for tomorrow."

"Yeah."

Lance accompanied Miles to the door. Before stepping out of the place, the journalist sighed.

"It means a lot you're helping me, Lance. Even after what I did to you."

"I know. But this is a professional matter, so we act the proper way to succeed."

"Hmph. Yeah."

When the door was closed, Lance let out a sad sigh too. He didn't even know why he accepted.

"You okay, man?"

He turned and looked at Matt.

"Sasha asked me to check on you." Lance raised an eyebrow. "Hey, you're subtle, but she worries too much about us, you know that. We're practically her family."

"I'm fine. I didn't expect Miles to appear on my way again. Let's just say we had a fallout during our friendship."

"I can see that. He seems sorry, but you're the one to decide to forgive him or not."

"I can't say I didn't forgive him. We were young and stupid. When my dad died, mom was destroyed and I couldn't do anything about it. Miles wasn't there just when I needed him the most. I think he's a guy you can have fun with. He's actually really funny, but as a friend, I don't think he works like that. He loves his loneliness too much." He rolled his eyes.

"He has a weird personality. He attracts attention, but he doesn't want it?"

"I think it's a way to cover his loneliness. He's comfortable with it, but people don't think the same, so he covers it all up."

"Mm... so, to Mount Massive Asylum."

"Yeah. We'll ask for Collingwood later. I'm sure they won't mind. Let's get the equipment done so we can finish this as soon as possible."

* * *

_To be continued..._


	2. Mount Massive Asylum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, there was definitely something wrong about this place... They were about to find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I don't remember if I said it, but I'll say it here: English is NOT my native language. In case you notice some mistakes, let me know, so I can correct them and you can read peacefully.

" _... department of agriculture_ _Commissioner Salazar said changing weather patterns were to blame the livestock behavior and encouraged ranchers and breeders to attend this weekend's seminar on Beula Avenue in Pueblo. And if you're out late tonight you may see some low-flying helicopters near Silverthorne and Leadville..._ "

"Are you even understanding what the fuck they're saying, dude?" TC arched an eyebrow.

"Well, I could if you guys could keep it quiet." Miles rolled his eyes and got closer to the radio while the cameraman kept driving.

"... _seems the Arapaho park services will be spraying for an infestation of box elder bugs_..."

"Fuck..." he couldn't hear anymore.

"At least, we're already here." Said Matt.

Miles raised his head and read the sign: Mount Massive Asylum. He smirked and sat straight on his seat. This was going to go _so_ well, they were going to win millions if they fuck Murkoff up!

"Guys? Am I the only one who can't get a signal?" asked Sasha.

"What do you me... oh, shit. Me neither."

"Is this normal? Check your phones, guys." instructed Lance.

"Mm... nope, dead."

"Dead."

"Fucking dead."

"We'll ask them about that once we get to talk with the guy who sent you that email." assured TC as he parked his van in front of the entry. "Wait... there's no one here?"

"What?"

Miles frowned.

"How are we going to get in?"

"Just park it here." Miles picked his things up and got out of the car.

"Hey! What are you...?"

"Even if we break through the asylum, I don't think they'd do something to us after finding out what Murkoff had been doing." he said maliciously.

"... you're an asshole, man." Matt commented. Sasha rolled her eyes.

"Welcome to my life." Lance muttered under his breath.

"C'mon! You're going to kiss my shoes once we get this job done. So, grab your things and start filming everything!"

"How could you stand it when you were younger?" Sasha asked Lance.

"I don't even know how I did."

Sasha had her camera and an audio recorder, since she always used it to their show, she thought it might be handy. Matt, TC, and Lance had their cameras too, though the technic brought a flashlight for each one of them. They got everything on their respective bags and, with some water and food, they were ready.

Except...

"Hey, Houston. Wake up, we're here." Sasha shoved gently the older man's shoulder.

"Huh?"

Houston Gray played as the medium in _Grave Encounters_ ; when Lance offered him to join them in this stupid idea, he couldn't deny the future prize he'd get if he was involved in all this. He sighed and put his sunglasses on.

"What the fuck are you doing, man?" Miles asked him.

"Hey, you're not the only one who wants to look cool. Shut up and let's go."

Miles chuckled and stared at the asylum.

Suddenly, all the nice atmosphere was gone.

"Oooookay, this is creepy as shit." muttered Matt.

"It's huge." Commented Sasha.

"I think Collingwood is this big too." said Lance.

When they were heading towards the entry, they flinched as they heard the gates getting abruptly closed behind them.

"What the...?"

"What the fuck, man?!"

"Who closed that?"

Sasha turned on the flashlight and looked around.

"There's no one there."

"Maybe it was the wind or something?"

"... This is getting to me, let's just go so we can forget about this?" TC sighed, a little tensed.

"Sounds good to me."

While they were walking, Miles wrote the first note on his little notebook. The air smelled odd and no wonder it was isolated from the whole world; the place was creepy as hell. According to what they investigated hours ago, the asylum was closed in 1971, but reopened in 2009 under the guise of a charitable organization. What the heck were they getting from this place? Whatever it was, it was worth working with those lunatics.

"Are these army vehicles?"

"What?"

Lance walked around the three big cars and frowned. Why was the army here? Why would they come to an asylum? Did it make any sense? And that wasn't the most intriguing thing: _where were they?_

"Feel like I'm in a cemetery." joked Houston.

"Oh, shut up..."

Lance reached the front door and knocked. He waited for ten seconds, but nothing happened. Then, he noticed an inter-phone; he pushed some buttons, but nothing happened. Not even a _peep_ *.

"What the hell...?"

Miles approached him and stared at the little machine. Then he put his ear against the door: there was a soft rustling sound, but not like footsteps.

"... should we look for another entry?"

"Are you asking me? I thought you didn't even care if we broke through."

Miles glared at him, but he couldn't deny that. With a loud sigh, they looked around for a decent entry. All the doors were fucking closed. What could they do?

"Fuck..."

"So, what do we do, star journalist?"

"How can we even... why the hell he sent me this if I can't investigate the fucking place?!" he snapped.

"Miles..."

"What?" he looked at Sasha, who pointed up. Everyone looked up and noticed an opened window. Lowering a little his gaze, Miles noticed the scaffold along with the ladder. "My, my... I think I love you more now, honey."

"Wait, are we seriously going to enter through that window?" intervened Houston.

"What happened, freaky priest? I thought you wanted to be the star of this." snarked the journalist cynically. "Well, fuck you guys. I'm going first."

Miles didn't bother in waiting for the rest. This investigation would be the key to have a better life and reputation. Once he reached te window, he moved up and entered.

"Fucking hell..." was the first sentence that came form his mouth once he saw the room.

He couldn't contemplate it enough as the lightbulb seemed to break suddenly. Still, he had Matt's flashlight. He turned it off and stared at the bloody place.

Maybe there were people who needed help. This was worse than he expected. Well, what did he exactly expect? A cup of tea with the anonymous guy who sent him the email? Where was he, by the way?

"Jesuschrist..."

He gasped and turned to look at the horrified expressions of his comrades. Sasha covered her mouth, looking as if she was about to be sick. He couldn't blame her, the smell was horrible as hell. TC tried to look tough, but Miles knew he was fucking terrified. Houston looked around, trying to look for something. However, what fascinated him was the fact that Lance, Sasha and Matt kept closed to each other; even if they looked scared, they were right beside the other.

Miles felt a little relieved.

Lance made good pals. _Unlike him_.

"This is horrible... is there... even someone alive in here?"

"There has to be someone... I mean, it has to, right?"

Sasha approached the half-closed door. From the other side, there was light. She opened It and stared at the empty halls. She turned and looked at her partners, who nodded. She walked into some kind of break room, but she couldn't explore it before a loud static sounded from the TV, provoking an " _eep_ " from the young lady.

"What?"

"N-Nothing... it was the TV."

"Are you sure this place isn't haunted or something?" asked Houston.

"Oh, _please_." Miles averted their gazes. "You're not gonna steal my job. This place is fucked up, not haunted."

"You don't sound so sure." teased Matt.

"This isn't about your _fucking_ TV show." he growled.

The crew glared at him, not taking well his sharp comment.

"Oh, sorry. Forgot it's _all_ about you."

Miles gulped and sighed. What was wrong with him? He was being an asshole (more than usual) without reason. Was this place getting to him already?

"Whatever, let's keep going." He approached the second door. He looked at the blood stains on the walls and grimaced. "We should check the rooms, Just in case we find something." he suggested as he walked to the next door. Hw wasn't sure if they obeyed him or not, he didn't care. He wouldn't blame them if they picked their things and left. He kept asking if it was a good idea asking Lance for help. Why him, anyway? The leader of the crew didn't want anything to do with him anymore, still, he came to ask for his help. Miles didn't even care if Lance hated him or not, he just wanted his tools to make the proper investigation...

He picked a document.

" _Project Walrider_..." read out loud. "Name... _Billy_? Why does this sound so cliche?" he grumbled. As he kept reading, his frown deepened. " _progressed to self-direct lucid dreams_... what the fuck..."

"Hey, journalist!"

He glanced up and stared at Matt.

"Wh-What?"

"We checked the other room, except for the bathroom." He was about to say something, but the blonde interrupted him. "Nope. Don't ask. _No fucking idea_. Anyway, we found a way to keep going, but..."

"But, what?"

"It's the air vents."

"Huh?"

"That's the only way we can keep up, but I don't know if we can all fit in there..."

"What about your girly assistant? She's the smallest?"

"First; don't call her that. And second: I don't think it's a good idea leaving her wandering alone in this place."

"Oh, my. Are you scared for her safety?" he teased.

"Of course I am. She's like a sister to me." Miles stopped grinning.

" _Boooring_. Thought you had the hots for her."

"Nah. Why would you think that?"

"You and Lance are pretty close to her. Didn't know which one of you wanted her the most."

"Dude, you're wandering a dangerous territory. Sasha will castrate you if she hears you."

"I think she'd do it if she hears me talking about her ass."

"Hey! Stop it!"

"Well, sorry, big bro! She's pretty hot! Can't help it." he raised his hands in defeat.

"Yes, you can. Stop talking about her like that or I'll be the one castrating you."

"Awww. Aren't you the sweetest?"

"Shut up and let's go."

"Right, right." He shrugged with a smile. Miles didn't know why, but Matt didn't seem to hate him _that_ much. "Wait a second..."

"What?"

" _I_ am wandering a dangerous territory? Are you telling me that Lance got the hots for Sasha?" he asked incredulously.

"Hey..."

"You're not denying it! Ha!" he cackled. "That's why you don't want me to talk about her that way. Lance would kill me, right?"

"Dude, I don't know. I don't like getting involved in that stuff. Last time I got involved in Sasha's love life, I almost got killed. And frankly? I don't know about Lance. He's my best friend, but he's one of those who don't talk about their feelings."

_Thanks to who?_

_Gee, his mind was playing games with him again._

"... Mm."

"Miles, let's stop. I know you _love_ meddling into things, but we're in the _middle_ of a gore place. Let's get serious so we can get out of here as soon as we can."

Well, he couldn't deny him that. Even being in a "safe place" like this was too much for him. What was wrong with the atmosphere, anyway? It almost looked as if...

"Heeey! You coming or not?" came TC's voice.

* * *

 

Sasha could get through the vents. She was really small, compared to the others. Once she got out, she told them it was an easy ride. Then Miles went up.

"Sasha? What do you see?" he asked as he kept creeping.

"This hall is brighter. There's a huge window, too. I can see the third floor... at least a little, the texture doesn't let me see that well." she informed. "And there's another door. The rest of the way is blocked and this door right beside the vent is locked." Sasha glanced up as she saw Miles coming out.

"Nice, I guess? I don't know if I want all the doors unlocked."

"For once, I agree with you."

He smiled a little and both of them walked to the almost closed door. Miles, once he touched the doorknob, knew it was too late, he already opened it.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Sasha screamed, walking backwards until she stopped against the window.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!"

* * *

 

"What? WHAT?! Sasha, what's wrong?!" Asked desperately TC. The four of them stared at each other, troubled. "I'll go first." he announced before climbing up.

TC did his best to hurry up. Once he went down, he saw Sasha looking at the room with a horrified expression. Miles didn't seem to be here with her. He approached her as she grabbed his arm for comfort. He turned his head and gulped a contained exclamation.

"Oh, my God..."

Well, there was definitely something _wrong_ about this place... They were about to find out.

* * *

 

_To be continued..._


	3. Death awaits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There was definitely something wrong about this place... but what they just saw wasn't even the worst thing they were about to experience.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I'm back. Sorry if took some time, but the University is... well you know, exhausting.

Miles, TC and Sasha used their flashlights to look around, but the couldn't observe the place long enough before feeling sick. Sasha closed her eyes and gulped loudly. The room was filled with corpses, most of them were headless; as they kept exploring, they found out the heads were resting in the bookshelves. The place smelt as rotten as it was.

"Fucking hell..." the journalist muttered under his breath.

"This is... horrible." Said TC.

"Guys?"

They turned, staring at Matt, Houston and Lance. They were as shocked as them.

"Ok, this is seriously fucked." Said Matt. "Maybe this guy was right. They may need help, that's why he contacted Miles." he reasoned.

"Yeah. I mean, who the hell would mutilate people like this? It's insane!"

"Insane..." Miles repeated. "Do you think some of the patients did this?"

"It's possible, there are multiple patients in this kind of asylums that turn violent and kill without flinching."

"But... isn't this too much...? I can't even count how many head are here." wondered Sasha.

"Can we please discuss this in another room, dudes? This place is making me sick and I'm about to puke." pleaded TC, covering his mouth.

Matt patted Sasha's back, knowing she was as sick as TC was, though she'd never say it. They kept walking until they saw a soldier impaled by an iron pole. When they came closer, they all flinched when suddenly the man gasped loudly for air and tried to move. The group took a step back, as if they were giving him space to move. Miles frowned and recorded him.

"Th-They killed us..."

"Wh-What?"

"What do you mean?" asked Lance with strong voice.

"Th-They got out... The... The variants..." he sobbed in pain. "You can't... fight them. You all... have to hide..." his eyes examined all the new arrivers, but his eyes grew bigger when he stared at Sasha.

_A woman was here._

"You--! _YOU_!" he tried to move his arm to reach her, but Lance took a step forward, covering the woman's petite body from him. "No!... You have to... get the fuck out of... this place!"

Lance knew this man was trying to make them see this wasn't a safe place. They all knew that, however, how they were going to get out? Someone had locked them inside once they stopped the van and entered through a window. There was a chance they wouldn't be able to come back there. Miles was thinking the same thing; they were close of the window they came from, but... the curiosity was killing him. _What the hell was happening here?_

"If you want us to get out... tell us how!" demanded Matt. If they stayed a little longer, at least, they'd need how to get out of the asylum.

"Need... to... get unlock... doors... from Security Control..." 

"Where is that?"

"..."

He wasn't moving anymore.

Matt cursed under his breath and stirred his hair.

"We can find a reception to look for it?" Houston suggested.

"Yeah, that should work." Miles agreed. "For now, let's keep moving..."

"Wait a minute! You still want to keep going?" asked Sasha.

"Just a little more." he confessed. "This place gives me the creeps, and frankly, I think we have enough footage with this room. But there's something I can't put my finger on it..." he muttered.

"You're thinking about the way they were killed." Lance didn't even ask, he knew what Miles was thinking. He stared at him and nodded.

"Yeah. I mean, yes. It's brutal, gore, whatever. But still, I think this isn't just about violent patients. Even if there're more than a few, there has to be something bigger about this place that is fucking it all up."

"Murkoff may be turning them violent? With some kind of experiment?" Lance suggested.

Miles smirked.

"Yeah... it's possible... I found something about it." he took from his bag W. "Billy" Hope's file and showed it to Lance. He opened the document and read it silently.

Once he closed it, he didn't say anything and nodded.

"Alright. Just a little more, I think we have enough, but it's your investigation." Miles couldn't help but feel grateful by Lance' decision.

"Good. Then let's get out of here. Seems like TC's gonna throw up in one or two seconds."

 The kept walking around the room, trying not to stare at the corpses and they reached an unlocked door. When Houston started to open in, Miles grabbed him.

"Wait!" he hissed.

Everyone held their breath as they heard another voice from outside, along with some heavy footsteps. Hell, even the breathing was loud enough coming from whoever was there. Miles knelt down and crouched to the halls.

"Wait here." he ordered.

"I'm coming with you." said Lance.

He didn't object, since he was scared too, but didn't want to show it.

The came closer, but the noise stopped.

"Think they left to another room?"

"Hopefully, yes." Lance glanced the left corner. "There's some bookshelves. If we squeeze through, I guess we can pass."

" _Squeeeeze_ , you mean?" he rolled his eyes and got up. Ha walked towards the bookshelf. "... Yeah, you're right..."

" _Little pig_..."

Miles froze. That voice wasn't Lance's, nor did he feel this presence approach him so silently. He reacted when he was violently grabbed by the arm.

"AAHH!"

"MILES!" Finally, he heard Lance's voice.

Miles tried to push this guy away, but he couldn't move for a few seconds when he saw his face. It was a big man, taller than him and his other companion; though he was pretty muscular, he was overweight too. He was missing his nose and lips... the only thing he could see clearly were his bloody teeth along with a large metal brace that was tearing his cheeks apart. Besides, his eyes were... covered by a kind of white layer...-

He was lifted in the air as a feather, then he felt the impact of the glass shattering against his back.

The idea of falling almost got to his mind, until Miles felt a hand grabbing his arm with such force, that it almost dislocated it. Ha glanced at Lance, trying to prevent his fall, but then he noticed the big guy growling at him in a threathing way. He raised his left arm and punched Lance's right side, causing to lose his valance. Accidentally, he let go of Miles' arm.

Lance didn't have time to react when he heard Miles' body crashing against the ground as he was thrown of the broken glass window as well.

"LANCE!"

He couldn't see much, but the panic he felt confirmed him that it was Sasha's voice. Then, he saw her with Matt running towards them.

He tried to say something, to prevent them from coming, but his voice failed him and he couldn't see them anymore.

The last thing he heard before losing consciousness was his partner screaming in fear.

* * *

 

_To be continued..._


	4. Lurking around

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Miles and Matt held their breath as the blood spread on the floor. They knew if they let him know they were in the same room as this f*cker, they were dead.

He could hear screaming, window shattering, growling and someone humming a song or something. The back of his head was killing him. He tried to open his eyes, but the flashing light was too much for him and closed them once more.

" _And who are you, then_?"

Miles wasn't sure if he was talking to him, or to anyone.

" _I... I see! Merciful God, you have sent me_ your _Apostles_." He tried to open his eyes one more time, and he could see a bald man dressed in a weird tunic. Was he a priest or something? He moved when he felt his hand on his shoulder. " _Guard your lives, son. You all have a calling..._ "

Then everything went black again.

* * *

 

"Hey! Miles! Miles, you okay, man?"

"Wh-Wha..."

He opened his eyes again and stared at Matt and Houston. He sat up and looked for his camera. It was by his side, he took it and stared at them.

"Where's... What happened?"

"Some ugly fucker threw you and Lance through the glass. You remember that, right?" He nodded, then he noticed something.

"Lance..."

"He's... fine. I mean, you fell, but he was literally thrown in the air. He's a little sore." The blond stared at someone who was behind him. Miles turned and looked at Lance, who was surrounded by Sasha and TC. The girl seemed a little shaken and was constantly asking him if he was really okay, while TC tried to calm her and himself since he was worried sick too. "We tried to get to you guys, but that big guy almost caught us. We had to go through those bookshelves and ran to the stairs." he finished explaining. "Who was he anyway? He looked hurt, but... he didn't seem to care... he technically just wanted to rip our intestines off."

"Could it be...?" he muttered.

"He's a patient?"

Miles got up and faced Lance, who ended his question. That man didn't look like the army man who was impaled. He had broken chains around his wrists and a weird wire destroying his mouth and cheeks. Though he didn't know how the hell he did lose his nose, it was pretty obvious he was violent; a violent and dangerous patient.

"It's a high possibility." 

"Well, I'm pretty sure we don't want to meet him again." Houston shook his head. "We definitely have enough footage. Can we please leave this place?"

Miles nodded, though he couldn't stop thinking about that silhoutte saying he had a calling. Was his imagination? Even if it wasn't, they had enough. He hit his head pretty hard and Lance was hurt too.

"You ok?"

"That fucker is strong, he broke two of my ribs." he muttered, holding his side.

"Mm... Sasha and TC can stay with you. Matt, Houston and I will look for the Security Control to unlock those doors." he pointed the main doors.

"You sure?"

"Just rest, man." insisted Matt, smiling a little. "Besides, I'm a wizard, if we could fuck people around with my effects, I think I can handle pretty well the controls here."

Lance sighed.

"Whatever, man. Just don't take long."

"I hope so." he rolled his eyes. "Don't fucking leave without us, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah."

The three were left, looking around the floor for the Security Control room. Miles stared at the stairs that went through the second floor; the door to go up was broken; he wondered what these guys did to reach them when they fell. They really cared for each other. Even though he was a jerk to them, they still cared for him; at least, Matt did. He was a kind guy, standing for his teammates and for him... he had to admit it, he was a little... _touched_.

"Hey." Houston's voice brought him back to reality. "We found the Security Control room."

"Well, that was quick." he smiled. "Aren't you guys efficient?"

"There's a problem, though."

"Oh?"

"It needs a key; a keycard. Where could we find it? This place is huge!"

Miles frowned and stared at his surroundings. It couldn't be far, right? They were talking about an asylum with tons of security. One of them had to...

"... We have to check all the guards' bodies." he finally said. Matt, who was walking. towards them, stopped.

"... Did I hear that right?"

"It'll be gross as fuck, but it's the only lead we have. If these idiots don't have it, then it's pretty obvious why these patients got out. They're fucking useless." he walked to the main counter. He found a bloody corpse of a guard. He checked the things it had, but there was no keycard.

"What the hell are you doing?"

He glanced up and looked at Lance and Sasha, who were sitting little far from him.

"The Security Room is not far from here, but it's locked. I assumed one of these guys would have the key to open it. How are you feeling anyway?"

"Better. Don't have painkillers, but I'll manage to keep going."

"Why do you have aid kits anyway?"

"When we were shooting an episode of an old haunted house, the place was so messed that the second floor crumbled down after we finished filming, but Sasha and TC were taking last shoots and they got hurt. Since then, we better prefer be safe than sorry."

"I see. Was it too much, hun?" he asked Sasha.

"TC broke his leg to protect me, I just had a sprain." She shrugged. "We can't carry pills around, so we try to kill the pain with some booze."

"Ho-ly shit. Do you have some?"

"Miles, c'mon." Lance rolled his eyes. "Just to kill the pain for a while."

"If you didn't notice, I didn't have a pretty nurse to attend me when I fell as well." he smirked. "One swig, yeah?"

Sasha sighed and nodded. She took the bottle from Matt's backpack and gave it to him.

"Where's TC by the way?" He asked as he took a long swig.

"He's a father of family, you could say he's the one who cares the most, so he went to explore and see if someone was alive to help them."

"Aww, isn't that sweet." he chuckled.

"FUCK!"

The three jumped as they heard TC's cursing. They turned as they heard some whining and screaming. Miles ran towards the room he didn't notice before, but before he could get closer, TC came running of there panting.

"TC?"

"You okay, man?"

"No, I'm not okay!" he snapped. "Th-That fucking... there was some dude patient that launched against me! He scared the crap out of me!" he clenched his teeth. "All I saw were patients and more patients, nothing else... oh, but I found this." He took from his pocket a keycard. Miles took it and smiled. "... Wh-What?"

"TC, you're a wonderful man. You just did the perfect job."

"Is that the...?" Sasha asked.

"Yep."

"Well, you're welcome, then. Even I got in on tape, so more footage for your fucking investigation. Don't fucking explore anymore..." he let out a loud sigh and sat beside Lance. "Can we please leave now?"

"Of course, you just got us the key of freedom. I'll look for Houston and Matt to tell them. You guys stay right here."

"Are you sure, dude?"

"Yeah."

* * *

 

The _beep_ sound never sounded more appealing than this moment.

"Oh, fuck... What the fuck..."

Miles made a disgusting face at the smell of corpses. He was getting used to it already, but it was still gross. He looked around the small room, but it seemed safe.

"Well, wizard-tech, it's your time to shine."

"Alright." Matt sat in the chair and started typing. "Well, I thought it was going to be harder getting out of here" he confessed ", but I'm kind of glad..."

While the system was taking its time to access to the main doors lock, Houston noticed something in the cameras.

"Wait... who is that?"

Miles looked and deeply frowned at the bald man that was walking towards a lever; he reached for it and...

"I've seen him before..."

_He was the man who talked to him when he fell!_

Then everything went dark.

"FUCK!"

* * *

 

"What the...?!"

Lance tensed and stayed still. Why did the light go off? He grabbed Sasha's arm.

"Use the night vision to see something."

She nodded and took her camera. She got up and walked a little to look what could have caused this darkness.

"Do you see anything?" asked TC, wanting to get up as well and join her, but her gasp stopped him.

"D-Don't..." she weakly whispered. She took a few steps back and came back to Lance's side. "Do you remember that ugly asshole in the upper floor? He's here!"

"What?!"

"Sshhh!"

"Sorry... but... Matt... Houston and Miles..."

Lance gritted his teeth. That patient was able to throw him through the window as a pencil, it was the same for Miles. They didn't stand a chance against him. His strength was almost... _inhumane_?

"Miles will know what to do. He's an asshole, but he knows how to keep a straight face in any situation." he assured.

They just had to wait for them to come back safe and sound.

Right?

* * *

 

The floor was tainted with blood... _so much blood_.

Miles and Matt held their breath as the red liquid kept spreading on the floor.

Houston's head was in the big man's hand, the last expression in his face was distorted in horror and fear. The head was torn with such force that part of the spinal cord kept attached to the skull. The rest of the "medium"s body kept bleeding in the ground.

Miles tried his best to stead his breathing, but it was getting difficult with his thumping heart getting faster and louder. He just hoped that Matt could stand the situation; he knew they just witnessed seeing his partner being killed in one of the most horrific ways, but...

If they let _him_ know they were in the same room as this fucker, they were dead.

* * *

 

_To be continued..._


	5. Through the darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Miles gulped loudly. He could do this. Matt was in no condition of doing this; he was the one who needed to do it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Sorry it took so long, but you know... Christmas... and new year is coming... so...  
> Anyway, let's start!

_The three gasped as the lights went off._

_"What the hell happened?!"_

_"For fuck's sake!" Miles cursed. "What the fuck are they doing?! Why can't we get out!?"_

_"Miles, calm..."_

_They froze as they heard a heavy breathing, not to far away._

_"We have to contain it..."_

_"Is it...?"_

_"It's the guy..."_

_"Fuck... fuck!"_

_"Where... where could we go? Even if we tried to run now, he'd still see us!"_

_Houston looked around the small room and noticed the two lockers. Then he stared at the corpse near the door._

_"... You two, hide in the lockers."_

_Miles stared at him._

_"Are you serious? You think he won't find us?"_

_"Just trust me on this one! He may be a super fucker, but he's still fucked up! His mind won't work that much, geez!"_

_Miles shook his head. He didn't think so. This wasn't going to work!_

_"Miles, I think we should better hide. It's better than standing here like idiots!"_

_"... Fine! Fuck..."_

_Matt and Miles hid inside the lockers while Houston grabbed the corpse. Making a face, he palmed the blood on the ground and covered himself to it. He wouldn't be able to hide... but if he pretended he was dead, maybe he could save himself!_

_Houston almost let out a yell as they heard the loud beating of the door. The third hit ended up breaking down the entrance. The door fell abruptly to the floor. Miles held his breath while Matt covered his mouth. The big guy walked around the ground, smelling loudly._

_"You were here, weren't you? Little pig... I'll find you all you whores."_

_Miles frowned. Did this guy... actually was looking for him... and maybe Lance? He wasn't entirely sure. However, every thought about that man hunting them evaporated as he approached the lockers, specifically, Matt's._

_Houston stared at the scene terrified. Even if he didn't dare to move a muscle, he let out a gasp loud enough for the big guy to listen. He suddenly turned and growled at him. He couldn't stand that look and sat up, screaming._

_"He-help! G-Guys...!"_

_Then he was grabbed by the neck._

_It was too late._

* * *

Miles counted to hundred since the big guy left. He slowly opened the locker and stared at Houston's headless corpse. The fucker took his head as a reward. Then, he turned to look at Matt, who kept hidden inside.

"... Matt."

"..."

"Matt, get out... he's... I think he's gone."

The blond couldn't move. He was breathing heavily, trying to contain his tears. He just lost one of his comrades... almost three minutes ago! He couldn't move at all. He was scared of getting out of that safe place. The whole asylum was dangerous; he'd be safer if he stayed there, right?

"Matt..."

"... The power's off... wh-what do we do?"

Miles stared at Houston's corpse for a few seconds. He dragged it to the corner of the security room so Matt wouldn't see it in his position. He let out a shaky sigh.

"... I'll try to restart the generator. You wait here."

"... Wh-what about Lance and the others?"

"... I'll tell them everything. They'll understand why you're hiding."

Matt didn't answer him. Letting out a last sigh, he silently got out of the room. He used the night vision of the camera to look around; the big man didn't seem to be there, so he should be safe, right? He kept walking until he looked downstairs. Maybe down there...

"Who's...?"

Miles turned and could look at a small frame from afar.

"Sasha?"

"... Miles?"

"It's Miles? Miles, come here! Quick!"

He obeyed without complaining and ran right towards them. He took his camera off his sight and touched Sasha's arm.

"Is everyone okay?"

"Yeah. We heard that asshole coming... so we were hiding... where are Matt and Houston? We were worried they may had reached you..."

Miles gulped and stared at the darkness, even if he couldn't look literally at their eyes, he was unable to tell them with a straight eye.

"... He found us." he said slowly. He heard some gasps, but he didn't dare to see them. "... We tried to hide... but..." He inhaled slowly. "... Houston's dead."

There, he finally said it.

"Wh-what?... No... you're..."

"Don't do this harder for us, okay?" he hissed. "And I'm sorry for telling you this, but now it's not the time to mourn him. It's clear this place is dangerous; we need to get out, tell the whole fucking world what these fuckers did to us!"

He heard Sasha's whimpering in the darkness; from TC and Lance, he just heard their breathings.

"... Where's Matt?"

"He's dealing what we just witnessed. He's hidden pretty well, I don't think he'll come out soon."

"So what now? The power's off, and we can't unlock the doors like this."

"What if we fucking break them?" suggested TC.

"No." intervened Lance. "It's actually a good idea... but what if these people get out too? There's hundreds of guys in here, most of them are patients."

"Fuck... then what...?"

"I'm getting to it." Miles said. "I'm gonna restart the generator to get out. I think it's downstairs where the generator is, so... I'm going."

"You're going alone?" The journalist was about to nod, but TC talked first.

"I'm going with you."

"Man, it's not necessary..."

"It's not necessary to come with a pal to an asylum full of crazy dudes?" Miles frowned.

"... Fine."

"Matt's in the Security room?"

"Yeah." He sensed Sasha standing up. "Wait! Don't go!"

"Why not?"

"... Houston's body is still there. I don't want you to see that."

She didn't respond.

Miles got up along with TC and approached the stairs. It seemed like some kind of basement. As they came down, Miles noticed the place was totally wrecked; heck, even the walls were in bad condition, some of them were broken, and there was so much water that reached a little above their ankles. Even down there the smell of corpses was sickening. With the camera using the night vision, TC could see some corpses stringing up. Then, they noticed the generator.

"Fuck..."

"What?"

"We need to find two gas pumps and the main breaker." he groaned.

"For real? Ugh, fine. Should we split up? Or..."

"It's a good and bad idea. If we do, we'll end this sooner... but what if someone's here?"

They were silent for a few minutes; they didn't hear anything... or anyone.

"I think we're alone. I think it's safe to do this individually."

"Ok."

* * *

 

Sasha cried silently Houston's death while Lance took her hand for comfort. They wanted to see him, but that would risk their lives; maybe, they could get him back once they got this problem done. They just hoped Matt was okay, specially with the big guy lurking around. They just heard him walking near them, but luckily, he didn't hear them. Lance wondered why he wanted to kill them so badly... well, he wasn't sure, he was unconscious when he went after Sasha and the rest. Was it because they were outsiders from the place? It was a high possibility; the army came and most of them were murdered in cold blood by this man. He didn't see headless patients... just guards, army guys... whatever the reason was, they needed to stay away from him.

"Lance? How do you think Matt's doing?"

"... I don't know. Honestly, I don't know how much we can last without looking for him." he replied; Matt was his closest friend, he couldn't imagine what he was feeling right now. Losing Houston like that... he just wanted to make sure he was okay.

“Yeah…”

“You okay?”

“… No, but… I just want to get out here.”

He was going to say something, but odd noises coming from the basement stopped him. Both of them stared at the stairs where their comrades disappeared.

* * *

“What the fuck is his problem?!”

“I don’t fucking now! But I’m tired of this shit!”

TC stopped abruptly while Miles kept running. He turned to face the ugly bastard who chased them with a kind of wooden stick. When he tried to hit him, he dodged it and punched him right in the face. HE satisfactory hard some teeth breaking as he fell on the ground, knocked out. The cameraman let out a long breath.

“Miles! Did you find it?”

“Would you stop shouting?! What if the bastard finds… us…” as he approached him, he noticed the guy passed out. “Holy shit, did you do that?”

“These idiots are weaker than the ugly fat dude. They think they are good with something to hit us.” He growled. “Did you find or not?”

“I did… We just have to turn the thing on and we’ll have all doors open for us.”

“Good. I was getting tired of this shit.”

When the lights went on again, the both of them let out a sigh of pure relief. Miles wrote something on his notebook and headed upstairs. TC silently followed him as he recorded from a far distance, trying to see if someone was there, but he didn’t see anyone.

“I think we’re safe.”

The journalist nodded and kept walking as he walked around the place.

“Lance? Sasha?”

They weren’t there.

“… Fuck… Maybe… they’re with Matt?”

Miles ran to the Security room and, to his horror, Matt wasn’t there. Besides, the system of the thing seemed broken. He tried to search for something else in the room, but when he spotted Houston’s corpse, he couldn’t keep doing it. TC entered, and hearded him muttering under his breath.

“… They’re not here… None of them…”

“But… where could they have gone?! They don’t know how is this place!”

“I don’t know!” he snapped. “It’s impossible they left! They’d have told us… and… I’m… I’m fearing something… or _someone_ took them. I’m not for sure, but it’s a possibility.”

“Jesus…” he said. “So, what now?”

“We have to look for them.”

“Of course we’re going to do that! But I’m wondering where could we start! I mean, we don’t have any leads!”

Miles squinted his eyes and cursed.

_Where were they?_

 


	6. Separated

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fresh meat.  
> Follow the blood.  
> They couldn't leave yet... not yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long... I've been so busy studying. The semester is almost done. I'll be back!

_“Lance…? Matt’s gone…”_

_“What?!”_

_Both of them entered the Security room and searched for their friend, but the blonde wasn’t in the room anymore. They stared at each other, not knowing that to do. Sasha looked anything but her friend’s headless body. What if something like that happened to Matt too? Lance noticed the place was wrecked. Was it like that when Miles and TC were there? He wasn’t sure._

_“We have to look for him.” She suddenly said._

_“Sasha, what could we do? We don’t know where he went!”_

_“But what if he’s hurt? What if he’s…”_

_She stopped talking, and Lance cursed under his breath._

_“… You’re right. We need to look for him. He couldn’t have gone far, right? I mean, he was scared after…”_

_“Yeah.”_

_“Alright.” He grabbed his camera while his friend imitated him. “We’ll need these since we still don’t have the power on yet, ok?”_

_“Ok…”_

_Lance grabbed her hand as they walked through the darkness, trying to look for an unlocked door. However, in this floor, everything seemed locked._

_“What if we go upstairs? TC broke the door that landed to the stairs.”_

_“Ok. If he’s in this floor, at least, we could have a better view to locate him.”_

_Sasha didn’t say anything as they went upstairs. The went through the halls and recorded a few corpses, but they couldn’t find anyone reasonable nor, well, alive. The walked for a while, until they found other stairs that leaded to the first floor again. They weren’t sure if they should go down. They found the reception of the asylum and they could come back, but… Matt could have been hurt, and they didn’t want to leave him behind. They needed to find him._

_“Ok, we’ll do a quick check. If he’s not here, we’ll come back and wait until Miles and TC come back, so we can all go to look for him, okay?”_

_Sasha pursed her lips. She didn’t like the idea; what if Matt was found by the big guy and got killed? Maybe he was running from him? Still, Lance’s idea sounded reasonable, and she trusted his decisions._

_“Okay… Let’s do that.” She finally nodded._

_They went down and approached somewhere that looked like a kitchen, though it looked more like a freezer for corpses. Most of them were headless._

_“Are these victims of that man…?” wondered Sasha._

_“… Maybe? I don’t know… Maybe… Jesus… oh, Jesus!”_

_Sasha wanted to ask him what was it, but stopped as she noticed a thrown pot that contained red liquid (possibly water and blood; the liquid wasn’t thick enough), some bones and a hand. As they kept walking, they saw a corpse that where its head used to be were remains of the brain. While Lance filmed the scene for a few seconds, he missed when Sasha got away from him, wanting to throw up. She breathed heavily, trying to calm her nerves, but then she heard it. It was some kind of electric saw._

_“Lance…?”_

_“Ohh… ohh! A woman… I haven’t tasted a woman in so long…!”_

_“Lance.” She stepped back as she kept hearing that voice._

_Suddenly, the power went on again. She could finally see a naked man walking towards her. He was grinning, looking so happy to see her. He didn’t stare at her body lustfully, but hungrily._

_“Sasha…?”_

_“Soft flesh… soft meat… feed me.”_

_“Lance!”_

_“Feed me! Feed me! FEED ME!”_

* * *

 

“Sasha!”

Lance turned when he heard her screaming. At some point, he lost her, but hoped she wasn’t so far. He was in some kind of crematorium. The conditions were terrible, he could practically stare at the burning bodies.

“Let me go! Don’t touch me!”

“So soft, so soft… you’re going to taste sooo gooooood!”

“Sasha!”

He could hear her from the other side of the room. He glanced up and looked at the ladder. He climbed up and finally spotted his friend. She was struggling against the mad man, who was inching closer his saw to her flesh between her breasts. Lance didn’t think too much, he just needed to save her. Without looking back, he jumped and collapsed against the cannibal. Grabbing the electric saw, he used the back of it to knock him out. When he fell limp on the floor, Lance started gasping for air he didn’t know he held. He turned to look at his friend, who was a crying mess, hugging herself as she tried to cover her body from the ugly glares. The poor shirt was shred and stained with blood.

“Sash…”

She sobbed uncontrollably as she kneeled down. Lance approached her and hugged her close. He’d never been so scared in his life; this bastard almost took his precious comrade away just like that other big guy did with Houston.

“It’s okay… you’re okay now. You’ll be okay.” He gulped. “We… We should head back. We need Miles and TC with us, so we can look for Matt and we can protect each other.” He looked down and dried her tears with his thumbs. “C’mon. I knocked him out real good, but it’s better if we get out before he wakes up.”

Sasha inhaled slowly and nodded frantically. She didn’t want to be here anymore.

When they were on the second floor, she stopped him.

“Lance… I…” Lance frowned at her. She bit her lip. “I’m sorry, but… it really hurts.” She moved the cloth of her shirt aside and Lance saw a big and deep wound bleeding under her bra.

“Oh my God…”

“We needed to get away first, but… it’s bleeding pretty bad. And I’m scared that…”

“… Matt has the first aid. We’ll have to find him anyway. Let’s go back, maybe Miles and TC are worried about us.”

She nodded and pressed her hand against the wound.

* * *

 

Miles flinched as the door cell finally got opened. TC was so infuriated that grabbed a chair and smashed against the door to finally open it. He didn’t think Matt or Lance and Sasha went there, but they were being followed. He wasn’t sure how many of them were, but the journalist could hear their steps. It was creepy as hell. They kept walking as they came across a dark room.

“Night vision.”

“Right.”

When he turned, he finally saw them. They were two naked guys.

“TC…” he mumbled.

“What?”

“Shhh.” He hissed. “We got a tail. We need to move slowly and quietly. I don’t think these guys are friendly.”

The man let out an inaudible sigh and nodded. He didn’t like this, but he really didn’t want to die. He wanted to go home and hug his wife and daughter and never let go. He couldn’t believe he agreed to this stupid deal just for a few more bucks. They were doing pretty good at their show _Grave Encounters_ , though they knew it wouldn’t last forever. Besides, was this worth it? This Murkoff company was hurting hundreds of mentally ill people just… for what? They still weren’t sure what exactly they were doing to them, but as they kept going the truth would come out soon.

“Where the fuck are we?”

“I don’t know… looks like… some kind of cells?”

“Oh, he’s father Martin’s man.”

Miles gulped as they heard that voice too close to them. When did those two got so close?

“C’mon.”

“But…”

“Just let’s keep going!” He dragged him as they kept listening to their conversation.

“I would like to kill him.”

“The priest told us not to.”

“Yeah… it would be… impolite.”

“What about the others who are with him?”

“Father Martin says we shouldn’t hurt the two apostles… but the others…”

“Then I want their tongues… and livers.”

“Fine. They are yours.”

Miles frowned as they kept trotting away from them. It was true: they just needed Lance and him. Why not the others, though? They were “apostles” … but the others had cameras as well, like they would document everything they could. What was different? They hid behind an overturned desk and he wrote something in his little notebook.

“Miles, look.” He turned with his night vision. “We could go up.” He pointed the stairs.

“… Right. I don’t like leaving Lance behind, but we have to stay alive.”

When he tried to look for the twins, the journalist frowned as he noticed they were gone.

“What the hell…” he shook his head. “Nevermind that, let’s go before they come back.”

The two of them stood up and walked around to reach the stairs. They didn’t bother to look behind them as they kept running until they found a weird gate. Before it, there was written on the wall:

_God always_

_provides a way_

_Follow the blood_

“… Is this from the priest guy?”

“I don’t know, but I don’t like this none one bit.” He clenched his teeth. “What if it’s a trap? And we’re getting away from Lance and the others!” he protested.

“TC, listen… we don’t know if they’re alive.” The cameraman was about to protest, but Miles interrupted him. “Don’t give me that! You know it’s possible! This place is fucked up, I doubt they’ll be safe and sound! We have to concentrate in surviving! If we get out of here and they’re alive, we’ll save them. But now, we have to rely on each other.”

TC cursed under his breath. He knew the journalist was right, but he didn’t want anyone to die. They already lost Houston, they couldn’t even mourn him because of the fear and strong desire of freedom. He would follow Miles to the exit, hoping to find his friend along the way and get out together.

“Fine. Lead the way.”

Miles entered the gate and tensed as it closed both of its entrances and green gas spread the room.

“The fuck?!”

By instinct, they covered their noses and mouths and waited. When it stopped, the door in front of them opened.

“… What was that for?”

“Don’t ask questions I can’t answer, dude… I really can’t deal with this.”

* * *

 

“This must be TC’s doing. It’s all broken.”

“Why would they go further?” asked Sasha. “We need to focus on leaving.”

“I’m not sure… but staying in one place is dangerous as well. We should follow these tracks. Just in case.”

Sasha grimaced at the suggestion, but obeyed. The best thing to do was to stay along Lance’s side.

“Does it hurt?”

“Yeah, but I’ll manage.”

They walked for a while until they reached some cells. There were patients out of them. Lance recorded a man smashing his head against random walls, leaving thick trails of blood on his face. For them being in the cells, Lance thought they seemed pretty inoffensive. Most of the cell doors were open and empty.

“Let me out!”

Sasha gasped as she heard that voice. She ran past Lance and ran to the next closed room. The little window showed a blonde man.

“Matt!”

“Sasha? Sasha, please, let me out of here!”

“Lance! Matt’s here!”

Lance glanced at the little crystal.

“How did you end up here, man?”

“Can we please talk about this later?”

Lance glanced around to find some tool to force the door open, but there was nothing.

“Get back, Sash. You too, Matt.”

The blonde nodded and backed up a little bit. He tried to force it open before, but he felt so dizzy that he could barely push it. When he heard the producer slamming his body against the door, it finally opened.

“Finally!”

When they could fully see him, Lance and Sasha noticed their friend was dressed in a hospital gown.

“What happened to you?”

“I tried to look for you guys after…” Matt gulped. “… and, well, I was grabbed by a priest or something. He injected me something that put me to sleep. When I woke up, I was here dressed like that. At least, I got my clothes under the bed. Guess I thank him for that” muttered absently.

“… Why did he bring you here? Maybe he thought you were a patient?”

“No, Lance. I’m sure it’s not that. Before I lost consciousness, I heard him saying sorry for doing this to us… that he couldn’t let us leave yet.”

Lance frowned.

_What was that supposed to mean?_


End file.
